June 2002 update of the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) with the following subjects:
* GRI Develops Network in South Africa
* Jo’burg Stock Exchange and GRI Reporting
* Planning Meetings for November Briefing
* HIV/AIDS Project Update
* Still Time to Register for Asian Regional Conference
* Comment Period on Draft Protocols Extended to 1 July
* Progress on Guidelines Revisions
* More Organisations Release Sustainability Reports
...
lees meer
International financier and philanthropist George Soros launched a call to governments across the globe for transnational resource extraction companies to ‘Publish what they pay’. Mr. Soros has teamed up with a coalition of over 30 NGOs to insist that oil, gas and mining companies must publish net taxes, fees, royalties and other payments as a condition for being listed on international stock exchanges and financial markets. The coalition includes Amnesty International, CAFOD, Christian Aid, Friends of the Earth, Global Witness, Oxfam, Save the Children and Transparency International.
Relying on companies to disclose information voluntarily has so far failed because they fear being undermined by less scrupulous competitors. The campaign calls for mandatory disclosure backed by legislation so that citizens in developing countries are able to call their governments to account over management of resource revenue
Speaking at the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) on the same day as the G7 Finance Ministers Meeting, Mr. Soros said, -Secrecy over state revenues encourages ruling elites to mismanage and misappropriate money rather than invest in long-term development. What we want is very simple: G7 Governments should require transnational resource companies to disclose what they pay for the products of the individual countries in which they operate. This is a real chance to promote good fiscal governance and help tackle worldwide poverty.”
...
lees meer
Exclusive research for The Observer shows that the business world faces a big challenge in persuading opinion formers that companies are serious about corporate social responsibility (CSR) and do not need to be forced to behave better.
...
lees meer
In een op 13 juni aangenomen resolutie* dringt het Europees Parlement er unaniem bij de FIFA en de sportgoederenbedrijven op aan om er voor te zorgen dat er bij de productie van sportartikelen geen kinderen worden ingezet. Ook vraagt het Parlement om uitvoering van de FIFA-gedragscode (een onderdeel van het contract tussen FIFA en bedrijven) waarin onder meer vakbondsvrijheid, afwezigheid van discriminatie op de werkplek en een behoorlijke beloning wordt toegezegd. Daarvoor is volgens de parlementsleden ook een transparant, geloofwaardig en onafhankelijk controlesysteem noodzakelijk.
...
lees meer
In the first “post-Enron” annual meeting season, shareholders have been sending three loud and clear messages to corporations: Put more independent directors on boards, let shareholders vote on executives’ pay and severance packages, and don’t allow a company’s auditor to do consulting work with the firm.
The potent combination of Enron’s meltdown, accounting and securities analysts scandals, and persistent market doldrums has galvanized unprecedented support for several corporate governance issues at the 2,000 leading public companies where the Investor Responsibility Research Center tracks votes. At the same time, rising concerns over global warming have led to a doubling of support for shareholder resolutions asking companies how they will respond to this pressing environmental issue.
...
lees meer
Social, environmental and sustainability reporting has grown dramatically in recent years. The change has been led by large corporations, particularly those with high public profiles and brands. The practice is also rapidly extending to other parts of the international business community, and to the public and private non-profit organisations.
Whilst this is welcome, there are emerging concerns about the quality of disclosure. There are increasing calls from influential stakeholders for more systematic disclosure of social and sustainability performance and greater assurance about the reliability of the information.
AccountAbility’s AA1000S Assurance Standard will fill the ‘assurance gap’ by providing a robust, credible framework for the independent quality assurance of social and sustainability reporting.
...
lees meer
Vier grote Nederlandse testuitgevers hebben het initiatief genomen voor een onafhankelijk keurmerk op het gebied van Human Resources Management, het 4TP-keurmerk. Doel is het verhogen en bewaken van de kwaliteit van instrumentgebruik op het terrein van HRM.
...
lees meer
(Gepubliceerd in Het Financieele Dagblad van 13 juni 2002).
Bedrijven zijn nog nauwelijks in staat de effecten van hun activiteiten op personeelsgebied te kwantificeren. Toch vragen beleggers steeds vaker om die informatie. Een recent onderzoek naar ‘human capital measurement’ brengt de belangrijkste obstakels in kaart. ‘Het gros van de personeelsmanagers is absoluut niet in staat om statistische informatie te verwerken.’
Deze week berichtte NRC Handelsblad dat het beleggingsfonds van de vakcentrale FNV belegt in bedrijven die in opspraak zijn geraakt door milieuvervuiling of slechte arbeidsomstandigheden. Dit hoewel het fonds een ‘ duurzaam beleggingsbeleid’ hanteert. Het verweer van de FNV was dat de aandelenportefeuille nog niet volledig is gescreend op duurzaamheid.
...
lees meer
Consumers and shareholders are increasingly inclined to “punish” companies that are socially irresponsible, a new survey showed.
According to the third Annual CSR Monitor by Environics International, the proportion of consumers who report punishing companies because of poor social performance has increased from last year’s survey, from 20 percent to 29 percent. In addition, a majority of shareholders say that they would sell their shares in a company if it behaved in a socially irresponsible manner, even if the share earnings were significant.
...
lees meer
(Gepubliceerd in De Standaard van 12 juni 2002).
Duurzaam ondernemen is geen laagje vernis, maar de kern van het ondernemen zelf. Wie geen aandacht heeft voor de integratie van bedrijfs-, personeels- en buurtbelangen zal niet overleven. Levenslang leren en een kleurrijk personeelsbeleid zijn geen modeverschijnsels, maar de pijlers van modern, maatschappelijk verantwoord ondernemen.
...
lees meer
As market forces and market failures provoke demands for greater corporate responsibility, Canadian Business for Social Responsibility (CBSR) announces the public release of the first corporate accountability tool of its kind in Canada – The GoodCompany Guidelines. These guidelines enable companies to assess, improve and report on their social, environmental and financial performance.
...
lees meer
The influence of the media on public opinion is significant. How responsible are the worldÃ??s major media groups in the way they handle their position of power in society? Do they observe ethical standards that go beyond sensationalist headlines and viewing figures? This was just one of the issues examined by the team of analysts from oekom research. In addition to social responsibility, their behavior toward employees and observance of environmental standards were also investigated as part of the Corporate Responsibility Rating. A total of 25 companies are analyzed according to social and ecological criteria, including global players like News Corporation (US), Time Warner (US) and Bertelsmann (Germany).
...
lees meer 
